Planning For Flood Response In Illinois And Missouri Underway, Iowa Declaration Expanded, Flood Response Continues 

Release Date: June 16, 2008
Release Number: HQ-08-108

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Federal, state and local response operations continue in the Midwest, with critical planning underway for anticipated Mississippi River flooding in Illinois and Missouri. Meanwhile, the federal disaster declaration for Iowa was expanded to include an additional six counties, including Cedar, Jones, Louisa, Muscatine, Polk and Winneshiek counties for Individual Assistance. For Wisconsin, Racine and Richland counties were added for Individual Assistance, and for Iowa, Decatur and Wayne Counties were added for Individual Assistance. FEMA's registration call centers have expanded operations to 24 hours-per-day, seven days a week.

FEMA's Joint Field Offices are engaging with response partners to establish State/Federal Housing Solutions Task Forces, which will design and implement event-specific, comprehensive housing plans. A senior FEMA Individual Assistance Manager will coordinate Task Force Activities at the national level and provide support on the ground. The task forces are working under the framework established in the 2008 Disaster Housing Plan that FEMA released earlier this month.

Region V
In Region V, considerable focus is on planning for expected flooding in Illinois, with water and generators being pre-positioned for anticipated flooding as flood waters flow down the Mississippi River. FEMA is coordinating communications support for the state, including the provision of Mobile Emergency Operations Vehicles (MERS) and an Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) communications vehicle from Region V.

Meanwhile, the planning cell of Region V Emergency Support Function personnel is operational at the Regional Response Coordination Center in Chicago. They include representatives of the Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency, American Red Cross, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Defense Coordinating Element and the U.S. Coast Guard. Sandbagging operations are ongoing in Illinois as major flooding is expected on the Mississippi River between Quad Cities and Grafton. An advance FEMA Emergency Response Team and logistics personnel are on standby for deployment to Rock Island, Ill., to help manage resources.

In Missouri, FEMA Logistics is pre-staging water, generators, sandbags and pumps in anticipation of downstream flooding of the Mississippi River. Forecast for major flooding in southern Missouri, with peak cresting along the Mississippi expected Thursday, June 19. FEMA is dispatching the Mobile Emergency Response Vehicle, ‘Red October,' to Cedar Rapids. FEMA and the State of Iowa are operating eight animal shelters that are housing 1,465 pets.

Centers for Disease Control
The Centers for Disease Control are advising people affected by the flooding in the Midwest that tetanus booster shots are not always necessary in the aftermath of a flood. The CDC advises that people get a routine tetanus booster every ten years. However, persons who are cut or injured and are not sure whether or not they have received a tetanus vaccine within the last five years should receive a booster dose of tetanus vaccine. The CDC says that in a flood, there are greater health risks from electrocution, wound infections, hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning from using gasoline-powered generators indoors.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
HUD has announced that it will offer foreclosure protection to displaced families in Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin through a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures of Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured home mortgages. In addition, HUD is offering states the opportunity to re-allocate existing federal resources toward disaster relief; making FHA insurance available to disaster victims who have lost their homes; and offering state and local governments federally guaranteed loans for housing rehabilitation, economic development and repair of public infrastructure. For more information, visit www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/communitydevelopment/programs/dri/

General Services Administration (GSA)
The GSA is gearing up so that it will be able to provide for supplies needed for recovery operations once the flood waters recede. Meanwhile the agency continues to purchase bottled water and blankets to replace FEMA supplies sent to help flood victims in the Midwest. GSA also is working to arrange for Joint Field Offices (JFOs) that will provide working space for federal and state disaster workers in Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri. The JFO in Wisconsin is expected to be operational on Tuesday, June 17. GSA expects to complete leasing actions for a new JFO in Springfield, Ill., and for a new logistics facility and JFO in northeastern Missouri. 

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
The ATF has established representatives at FEMA's National Response Coordination Center in Washington, D.C., and at the JFO in Des Moines, Iowa. As lead agency for ESF-13, ATF's responsibility involves the coordination of federal law enforcement resources in connection with current response operations in the Midwest flood states. Ongoing activities include monitoring security and law enforcement operations in Iowa and other affected areas.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The EPA has sent personnel to the JFOs and the Emergency Operations Centers of the states affected by the flooding.  Additional EPA staff has been placed on standby.  In Iowa, EPA staff has been working closely with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in identifying hazards as water recedes in affected areas.

National Guard
Nearly 6000 Guard personnel are providing wide range of storm recovery operations. More than 4,000 members of the National Guard are handing flood-related duties in Iowa including sandbagging, evacuations, potable water, power generation and security. The Indiana National Guard has more than 900 members in support of flood response operations involved with sandbag operations and water-re-supply operations. In Wisconsin, more than 200 Guard members are involved in transportation, communication support and power generation missions as well as sandbag operations in support of flood fighting operations. In Illinois, more than 500 Guard members are conducting aerial assessment operations and sandbag operations along the Mid-Mississippi River. Two hundred members of the Missouri National Guard are supporting sandbagging, levee monitoring, evacuations, communication and security. Meanwhile, the National Guard Bureau continues to monitor situations throughout the Midwest in order to coordinate with and provide timely responses to civil authorities.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
Overall, USACE has deployed 208 flood fighting teams, more than four million sandbags and 116 water pumps to the region. The 249th Engineer Battalion was deployed to support critical facilities, and an engineering team is evaluating the feasibility of using pumps to accelerate the process of clearing water from Cedar Rapids.

The Louisville District in Indiana has been providing technical assistance in connection with the inspection and evaluation of over 100 privately or state-owned dams in the state. To date, 10 teams have evaluated a total of 106 private dams throughout the effected area. USACE is continuing to deliver water to Iowa and is working with state and local officials on the establishment of distribution points for the public distribution of water in Cedar Rapids and Columbus Junction. The USACE Rock Island District has created a Web site for fact sheets, news releases and information about the current flood fight at: www.mvr.usace.army.mil/PublicAffairsOffice/MidwestFlooding2008/Home.htm

American Red Cross
The ARC reports that there are 27 shelters open in the Midwest, providing shelter for approximately 700 people. To date, 12,000 meals have been served. Approximately 1,800 Red Cross volunteers are working in disaster response operations across the Midwest states.

FEMA coordinates the federal government's role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Last Modified: Monday, 16-Jun-2008 18:46:17